The indians are always good about coming to terms with their unsigned players, and got a head start Sunday when they inked nine to one-year deals. That leaves 14 remaining players to get signed by next month's deadline.

Will it ever stop, yo I don't know Turn off the lights and I'll glow To the extreme I rock a mic like a vandal Light up a stage and wax a chump like a candle -- Vanilla Ice, Ice, Ice baby; Circa 1990

Yes, Ice. It stopped very quickly. Your career that is. I am not sure if it was the blatant rip off of Queen's "Under Pressure" or the rumors of rap mogul and purported gangster Suge Knight dangling you off a balcony by your ankles, but your career lasted about as long as MC Hammer's Poofy pants.

Although A-Rod could currently share comparisons to the guys in the now classic Youtube video "My new hair cut," (I would share a link if it wasn't so vulgar) he did not discuss his new hair cut. How many women he will be with. Nor did he mention Jagerbombs.

Today I was pleased to find this year’s edition of the Baseball Prospectus placed up against my door. As always, the prospectus is chock-full of interesting tidbits, statistics and predictions for the upcoming season.

Now, if only my Baseball America Prospect Handbook would arrive, I could be content. Whats the hold up BA?

According to the Indians, former Major League Pitcher and 1988 AL Cy Young winner Frank Viola will be in Major League camp as a Spring Training Instructor with the Tribe.

Viola, 48, compiled a Major League career record of 176-150 with a 3.73 ERA over 15 Major League seasons with the Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays (2836.1IP, 2827H, 1175ER, 1844K) from 1982-96.

Before leaving for his team's new spring training site in Goodyear, Ariz., Indians general manager Mark Shapiro met with the local media Friday at Progressive Field to share his thoughts on a variety of topics. Here are some of the highlights:

Q) How has the nation's struggling economy affected the team?

A) Shapiro - The challenges are not just ours. The issues are not just or national, but international in scope. A lot of times in sports we operate in a vacuum and are somewhat limited in how we're impacted. But in this case, no one's free from being impacted...We feel like we've planned pretty well and are in a pretty good position right now. But if things are in the same position a year from now, it will be a very different story...We've looked at taking smaller measures across the board operationally on an expense level at every facet of our operation. You won't see any of those things I would hope, I hope our fans won't see any of things, but we've looked at controlling our costs any way we can...The backdrop of the financial climate will impact every one of our decisions.

Q) What have you heard about designated hitter Travis Hafner as he rehabs an off-season shoulder surgery?

A) Shapiro - He looks great, his head's in a good place and he's finishing up his rehabilitation stages. In the next month he'll move from rehabilitation to game preparation...As long as things go as expected, at some point over the next month he'll transition over to just baseball...It's our hope that somewhere at the beginning of the spring schedule he'll be able to play.

Q) Is there anything with catcher Victor Martinez's physical condition that needs to be addressed after surgery on his elbow last season?

A) Shapiro - No. He looks really good. He's 100 percent.

Q) What is your feeling on your starting pitching compared to year ago?

The Indians on Tuesday signed veteran right-hander Vinnie Chulk to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training. Chulk, 30, has spent all or parts of six seasons in the big leagues with San Francisco and Toronto, compiling a 7-14 record and 4.36 earned-run average in 244 relief outings.

After missing the first two weeks of the 2008 season with a shoulder injury, Chulk joined the Giants' bullpen, posting an 0-3 record and 4.83 ERA in 27 appearances. He was designated for assignment on June 24 and spent the rest of the season at Triple-A Fresno, where he compiled an 0-1 record with two saves and a 3.65 ERA in 22 games., including two starts.

While doing a little websurfing this morning I came across this list of players who are without options this season. For any of these players to return to the minor leagues, they must clear waivers first.

The List was compiled by MLBtraderumors.com, then blatantly stolen by me to post for all your enjoyment.